Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Announcing The Darcy Fun(d) Match!

Darcy's good friend Tamela is organizing a Cavalier Fun Match (all Cavaliers are welcome) to raise money for the Darcy Fund. A Fun Match is just like a real dog show with a real judge but no pedigrees are required. They are a great way to see what it’s like to show a dog, learn what judges look for in the ring or just spend time with your Cavalier friends. Besides typical fun match classes—Puppy Dog, Puppy Bitch, Color Variety (1 year and up), Junior Handling (kids up to 18 years and any age dog) and Veterans (Cavaliers 7 years and up)—we’ll have contests for waggiest tail, longest ears, best trick and more, plus a Rescue parade and a raffle with lots of great prizes.

Bring a potluck dish to share and groom your dog to the nines. Winners (1st through 4th place will be awarded in each class) can be photographed with the judge. Or have your dog's picture taken just because he’s special.

Entry fees per event are $5 per dog and photos are $5. Prizes have been donated and all monies raised will be donated to the Darcy Fund, for research into causes of and treatments for chronic valve disease, also known as mitral valve disease, a serious problem in Cavaliers.

For more information email Tamela at cavalierpark@cox.net.

Location: Laguna Niguel Regional Park, Laguna Niguel, CA
Date: Saturday May 12, 2007
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
The Darcy Fund is going strong!

Many people have donated to the fund for Christmas and other holidays, both traditional and private. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your donations will allow the MVD research being conducted at the University of Pennsylvania to continue. Please donate today. Although the research was started with funds from a large private donation, the ACKCSC hopes to fund additional ongoing costs with donations to the Darcy Fund.

The Darcy Fund has been getting quite a bit of press. I will publish soon a list of articles, magazines, newspapers and radio shows that have mentioned or discussed the fund.
More Darcy Fund news....

The ACKCSC Charitable Trust has a new web page dedicated to the Darcy Fund. Thanks to the ACKCSC for setting the page up.

Several people have reported a problem using the "donate" button/page on the ACKCSC Charitable Trust web site, but we can now report that the problem has been fixed. If you tried to donate via the button in the past and experienced problems, please try donating again. Thanks so much.

We also have information on the research being performed at the University of Pennsylvania: The goal of the research is to identify the specific gene (or genes) responsible for chronic valvular disease so that simple accurate tests can be developed to identify dogs at risk. Hopefully these tests can be incorporated into the Cavalier breeding protocols to speed the removal of this disease from the beloved Cavaliers' genome.
The Darcy Fund at Work

An update from the ACKCSC Charitable Trust re: the Darcy Fund:

"...We are so grateful to you for setting up this fund with us!!! Research has begun at the University of Pennsylvania and we are confident that with the Darcy Fund, we will be be able to cover the full cost. We have been working on getting this research in place for over three years now and the anticipated donations to the Darcy Fund have finally made it possible!!

Thank you so much,

Sincerely,

Carol Williams, Chairman
ACKCSC charitable Trust
"

So thanks to all that have donated to the Darcy Fund. You are making a difference!
The Darcy Fund

As mentioned in this month's MSNBC Pet Health column, Creature Comforts, the ACKCSC Charitable Trust (American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club) has set up a charitable fund for the study of CVD (Chronic Valvular Disease, also known as MVD) in Cavaliers called the Darcy Fund. Here is the ACKCSC Charitable Trust donation form. It is also in the permanant links section on the right.

If you or any of Darcy's friends wish to make a donation, just use the form and write DARCY FUND in the 'In honor of' or 'In memory of' lines - any such donations will be credited to the new fund.

Thanks! Maybe Darcy’s fund will help other lovely little Cavaliers to live longer....
The Darcy Fund is becoming a reality!!

Kim and I have requested that the ACKCSC (American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club) set up a charitable fund for the study of CVD (Chronic Valvular Disease, also known as MVD) in Cavaliers and we received word that the Trust Board was in unanimous support of it! Final paperwork is being processed but in the meantime, here is the link to the ACKCSC Charitable Trust donation form: http://ackcsccharitabletrust.org/TrustDonation.pdf. I have also added it to the permanant links on the right.

If you or any of Darcy's friends wish to make a donation now, just use the form and mark DARCY FUND on it somewhere - any such donations will be credited to the new fund.

Thanks! Maybe Darcy’s fund will help other lovely little Cavaliers to live longer....
Darcy Fund Blog created to keep Darcy's Daily free for MVD information. Posts about the fund, various fund raisers, and research progress will be posted on the Darcy Fund blog.